We are surrounded by digital microprocessor technology. Seemingly, it’s everywhere except in the magnetic ballasts most commonly used in conjunction with High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting. This is a problem that should concern us all because:

• Magnetic ballasts have low power factors and are inherently less efficient than digital ballasts – the difference is approximately 10%.
• Magnetic ballasts cause excessive lamp electrode deterioration resulting in a significant decrease in light output over time. The resultant “lumen depreciation” caused by the use of a magnetic ballast with a metal halide lamp can be 25 – 35% of initial light by the time is lamp is at the mid-point of its projected life. This compares with a decrease in light output of less than 5% when using the same lamp with our digital ballast. When using a magnetic ballast, you have to over-specify lamp wattage to compensate for significant anticipated lumen depreciation. Not so when pairing your lamp with an Empower digital ballast.
• Quartz metal halide and high pressure sodium light sources remain the most popular choices for street, area and recreational lighting applications. The DOE estimated that 20.6 million such lamps, ranging from 150 – 750 watts, were sold in 2008. Nearly all were paired with magnetic ballasts. Had they been paired with digital ballasts, the energy savings would have been approximately 1,800 megawatts, the equivalent output of more than two nuclear power plants! Cost savings would have been roughly 3/4 billion dollars!